The Groundies Starlite almost have it all
Is "extended regular fit" enough or should we want more?
After a week of Instagram teasing, Groundies has released a new sneaker, Starlite, and they're almost worth the hype.
They look amazing, like a chilled out New Balance 327, with textural design elements that are often missing in barefoot shoes. The upper's made with a crinkly textile that's overlaid with smooth leather and suede panels. Though they boast one of Groundies's thinnest soles at 6 mm, construction trickery makes it look like the shoe has a midsole with cushion and a heel-to-toe drop. All that extra real estate is occupied by these sloping grooves that run down most of the sides of the faux sole. The eye stay is secured by a wide zig-zag stitch between each eyelet.
But the Starlite is only available in Groundies's regular fit, meaning it has a traditional, narrow toe box. For me and many others based on the comments on Groundies's Starlite-related Instagram posts, a wide toe box is the most valued feature of barefoot shoes, so that news is a bummer.
The description section of the Starlite product page claims, "Extended regular fit: wider than standard sneakers," but I can't trust that they'll be nearly as comfortable as Groundies's barefoot offerings on that statement alone. However, on her Instagram, @riga.montano says they fit like the Universe, which has a roomy barefoot toe box:
[The width of the Starlite] feels almost the same as in Universe! They are a bit longer, that's where this narrow point goes. The only thing is that [Starlite] is not as flexible as their other models.
Is it too much to ask Groundies to give their best-executed designs a barefoot toe box? Is the absence of a barefoot toe box part of why they look so good? We'll have to have a whole other discussion to get into that last question, it's a bit too philosophical. For now, check out the Starlite at groundies.com.